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Saturday, September 18, 2010

Bishop Williamson has new day in court

The trial of the arch-conservative bishop of the St. Pius X due to denial of the mass murder of six million Jews during the Third Reich learns a new edition. Appellate proceedings before the District Court of Regensburg have been fixed for 29 November.

The trial of the arch-conservative member of th SSPX, Bishop Richard Williamson, according to a court spokesman goes to a new round. Thus, there will be on 29th November before the District Court of Regensburg, a new round of the trial of the bishop. Williamson relativized in November 2008 before television cameras during an interview with a Swedish TV station in the Seminary of the Sacred Heart in Zaitzkofen bei Schierling the number of Jews murdered during the Third Reich .

In the trial in April, the Swedish state had also snubbed the German legislature. The Swedish Chancellor of Justice wrote to say that the subpoena put forward by the prosecution of the TV journalists involved was incompatible with freedom of expression, which applies in Sweden. She refused help the legal authorities in the case against the bishop.

This Regensburg district court had sentenced Williamson in April 2010 because of incitement to 100 days fine of 100 € per day. It remained slightly below the demand of the prosecution of a 120 days fine, but the SSPX Bishop was given a preliminary conviction in Germany. Already, the bishop's lawyer, Matthias Loßmann had announced that Williamson did not accept the penalty and will go to appeal.

The news of a new judicial round is sensitive given the visit of Pope Benedict to Britain on Thursday. The Pope's visit is already controversial as the Church of England had in the 16th Century split off from Rome. Queen Elizabeth II is also head of the church. British media, which are known as the toughest afraid at the moment does not hold back on Benedict's past as a member of the Hitler Youth - the current Pope was then just 16 years old and was forcibly drafted.

Williamson's remarks and the case against him brought a clarification note from Rome as, Benedict lifted the excommunication of the four illegally SSPX consecrated bishops including Williamson. Worldwide, it resulted massive criticism, because the SSPX had not sufficiently distanced himself from Williamson's remarks.